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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Biologist Carole Hooven on Laurel Hubbard in the Telegraph

12 replies

TheHandmadeTails · 28/06/2021 01:11

www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/does-testosterone-give-trans-women-sporting-advantage-yes-does/

Some paragraphs -

A lecturer and co-director of undergraduate studies at the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, Hooven, 55, not only earned her PhD at Harvard studying sex differences and testosterone, but has now written a book, Testosterone: The Story of the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us, in which she devotes chapters to the matter of transgender athletes.

I won’t comment on whether it’s fair,” she says, “but I can comment on whether trans women, who have experienced male puberty, would have an advantage, on average, in most sports over natal females: yes they do.”

“I felt a lot of anxiety [in writing it] because it’s obviously controversial, but I’m somebody who doesn’t like a bully, and I like science, so I felt emboldened to stand up for what I believe in,” she says, speaking over Zoom from her home in Massachusetts.

A lot of people talking online about gender issues, she thinks, “are getting confused. Social justice issues are getting twisted into the science, and it’s driven by fundamental misunderstandings. It’s dangerous: if you hang your agendas on dubious science, you’re going to be in trouble if the facts turn out not to support your agenda.”

She also says she refuses to use language like “sex assigned at birth” or “cisgender”.

OP posts:
Fallingirl · 28/06/2021 02:15

I hope I’m wrong, but I think Hooven may be underestimating the amount of grief she will get for this. None of this is driven by “fundamental misunderstandings”, is it?

Perhaps she is being diplomatic, leaving the IOC a way out, rather than accuse them of being the male supremacists that they are.

Harriedharriet · 28/06/2021 03:03

Bloody hell - she is brave! I mean, she could loose her job on the back of this if it kicks off. Let’s see what Harvard does……

OhHolyJesus · 28/06/2021 08:43

She took a big risk with this, I hope she doesn't have a pile on. I think the landscape there is quite different to the sea change happening in the U.K.

Is it me or has the Telegraph been covering this more, joining The Times and the Daily Mail? The stories at the weekend have been cheering.

LizziesTwin · 28/06/2021 08:48

I’ve signed up to the telegraph on line as a result of their improved coverage of this issue. What has happened to the man who was in the magazine each month?

nauticant · 28/06/2021 09:36

One (bad) habit I have is to do a quick search on twitter when I want to gauge the level of outrage. Searching on her name seems to show that there's a positive reception and not much in the way of attacks:

twitter.com/search?q=Carole%20Hooven%20&src=typed_query&f=live

Maybe it's the calm before the storm. Or maybe trans activists are wising up to the fact that the past few years of angry attacks and threats are radicalising more of the public against their movement.

TheHandmadeTails · 28/06/2021 10:55

That came to an end, sometime last year maybe Lizzies? Maybe the transition had finished.

OP posts:
MrsOvertonsWindow · 28/06/2021 11:10

This looks really interesting. Good to see more science and facts being published rather than the fake fact gender woo woo that's so prevalent.

EmbarrassingAdmissions · 28/06/2021 11:11

Hooven's book looks like it is worth a look: Testosterone: The Story of the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08PF8FHWH/?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

ArabellaScott · 28/06/2021 11:23

Looks like a fascinating book. I'm reading 'The XX Brain' right now, which is also interesting on hormones. Will add to the list.

EsmaCannonball · 28/06/2021 11:31

We're at the point where someone risks being hounded out of their career, not just their job, for saying men have a physical advantage over women in sport. People will know that she's right but will demand to see her expunged for ideological impurity anyway.

cocoapopfan · 28/06/2021 17:39

Is there an archive copy of this article?

EmbarrassingAdmissions · 28/06/2021 17:42

@cocoapopfan

Is there an archive copy of this article?
archive: archive.is/ffTSe
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